Frontier Airlines to suspend some flights out of Delaware, maintain presence in Mercer

EWING — Following news that Frontier Airlines will temporarily halt flights on four of its six routes in and out of Delaware’s Wilmington-Philadelphia Regional Airport this winter, Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes quelled any concerns that Trenton-Mercer Airport would meet the same fate.

“We are not happy to see Wilmington lose flights, but we are grateful for the added attention Mercer County is getting,” he said.

Roughly a year after it started service out of the New Castle, Del., airport, the low-cost carrier said that as of Dec. 12, it will suspend service to Denver, Chicago, Atlanta and Fort Myers, Fla., from the Delaware site as it adjusts to seasonal demand.

They have instead opted for more frequent flights on smaller planes to Orlando and Tampa, according to The News Journal of Wilmington.

Airline officials will reconsider the return of the suspended flights for the spring as well as flight frequency and other possible destinations, airport director Stephen Williams told the newspaper.

Hughes said Frontier is satisfied with the Trenton-Mercer market, but the airline is an agile company that will make changes as needed.

“They’re going to make money where they can make money,” he said. “These flights out of Trenton are priced right and they’re making a significant profit off of them.”

Frontier has seen rapid growth since starting its operations at Trenton-Mercer in November 2012 with twice-weekly flights to Orlando, Hughes said.

The airline now has 73 weekly flights to 17 destinations, and over that time, has changed the frequency of its flights to certain destinations to meet demand and remain profitable, he said.